Upward Training

Day 2

The Weight of Love (Part 2)

Pastor Bob Klecan

1 John contributes to this priority of love:, ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:7-21).  Love could hardly be given a more central role than in this passage!  And in the Book of Revelation, John records Jesus’ rebuke to the church at Ephesus as  ⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place (Revelation 2:4-5).   All of the other strengths of this very prominent church were zeroed out by the fact that they had forsaken their first love. 

Elsewhere, Paul wrote that love is a debt that should never be considered paid up (Romans 13:8 ),  and that love is the fulfillment of the entire Law of God (Romans 13:8-10).

1 Corinthians 13 deserves its own mention.  Known as the “love chapter,” agape is here elevated as perhaps nowhere else.  It is in the middle of an extended teaching on spiritual gifts to a Corinthian church that was very active and “proud” of their giftedness, particularly of the more obvious supernatural type.  Nevertheless, they were a factitious church and Paul declared them unspiritual,
“fleshly” because of this (3:1-3).  Paul brings both their giftedness and their divisions into perspective in chapter 13, where he describes God’s vision for our lives, lives of love.  This love is the absolute, best way (12:31), is superior to all other manifestations and ministries (13:1-3), is character that is demonstrated in the everyday relationships of life (13:4-7), and is the greatest of Christian virtues (13:13).  

This is not exhaustive, but demonstrates the point that the centerpiece of God’s vision for His children, the key quality He wishes to grow within us, is love.  Agape.  Such love, which is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, is the heart of the V in Vim. 

Personal Reflection or Discussion Questions

Which part of the weight of love has most gripped you today?

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Are there places in your life where the weight of love needs most obviously to be applied? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this devotional, write out a prayer to God. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________